THE INTERVIEW : MIKE DEITEMEYER
hotels are big and robust and generate a lot of income . So our focus has been to stay on this 4.5-star track and stay focused where we operate 4-star assets at 5-star service levels .
We are playing with a unique opportunity that would put us in a bigger sector outside the U . S ., but we are not ready to talk about it just yet . By the end of the year it will either be dead or we will be ready to talk .
H : What will be the mix of resort and business hotels going forward ?
MD : It depends where opportunities present themselves . Because of what we have been able to do in the last several years , we are now in discussions in multiple markets for public-private projects , and those tend to be convention centerlocated projects . I hope to make announcements in the next several months for one or two opportunities in that space .
There are still some urban opportunities we are actively looking at and selectively on resorts .
There are three markets we have looked at doing construction for urban business hotels . We are not close to pulling the trigger on any of these right now , which is part of the reason some of these public entities still understand the need for the type of subsidy that is available .
As long-term holders of real estate , the KSL transaction provided us with a footprint we would not have been able to accomplish otherwise . We did a major redevelopment of Amelia Island , and the property is fantastic now . It was losing a few million a year , and next year will have profit in the US $ 15 million range — and that was accomplished in a 24- to 36-month period .
H : How would you describe your working relationship with Robert Rowling ?
MD : Bob is passionate about building our business . We have monthly board meetings , but I interact with Bob on a weekly basis . He gets results on a daily basis from hotels and looks at how we are tracking . He is very interested in booking pace and star fair share data .
We are a very competitive organization internally in how we measure our GMs and teams on share and rankings in the markets . We set goals around that . I just had dinner with Bob , his son Blake and Jim Caldwell last night , and we do that every two weeks to talk through the business and the issues we are facing , as well as the successes . Omni is now his biggest business , the lion ’ s share of the family ’ s wealth , so he is very involved and stays active as it relates to capital expenditures . He wants to understand how we are deploying money .
Organizationally , one of our pillars is the trilogy ( customers , associates , owners ), which is the balance of the organization . Internally , we talk a lot about balance . We focus on sustainable earnings and spend a lot of time talking about that . Bob was as intrigued when we on-boarded the KSL assets as he is about service levels , customer perception and the gaps in those assets . H : What is the endgame for the organization ? MD : The endgame is a legacy hold . Omni is a business Mr .
Rowling plans to own for a very long time .